(BPT) – If you had to go back to driving school today, would you pass the parallel parking portion? What if the instructor tested your knowledge of car maintenance?
Learning how to drive and taking care of your vehicle are integral parts of growing up. In a recent Gauge Index survey, Hankook Tire found that nearly half (47 percent) of Americans got their driver’s license the first day they were eligible. But the learning doesn’t have to stop there. In fact, it shouldn’t!
To keep drivers up to speed on vehicle maintenance basics, Hankook Tire outlines three things you may not have learned in driving school, but should have:
Buckle up … and check your tires
Everyone knows when it comes to driving, it’s important to put safety first. But driving safety goes beyond just buckling up. Good car maintenance can lead to a safer drive, so start by kicking the tires before you even get into the car.
Hankook found that, had it been part of the driving test, most Americans said they would have gotten the worst grade on tire-related maintenance. Specifically, 40 percent said they would perform the worst at changing a tire, followed by checking tire tread (16 percent) and filling up tires with air (15 percent).
Navigate the parallel parking spot
Let’s face it: parking can be tricky. There’s a plethora of distractions and frustrations and a limited number of parking spots, particularly near popular locations. And while you may get the basics of parallel parking down from driver’s ed, the Gauge found that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans still said parallel parking was the most difficult driving skill to master.
But perhaps practice does make perfect, because more than two-thirds (69 percent) of Americans still consider themselves ‘good’ or ‘expert’ parallel parkers.
Don’t rely on technology alone
You may not have learned to use a backup camera in driving school, but nowadays, new cars often come equipped with this helpful technology and more! The thing is, it’s easy to become too reliant on nifty gadgets and new technology. In fact, according to the Gauge, one-third of Americans (34 percent) rely solely on their backup cameras when backing up their vehicle. Of those with backup cameras, only 10 percent aren’t using the camera at all when backing up.
So don’t let lane-keeping assist or GPS navigators keep you from the basics (like turning your head to check your blind spot). Remember that these are tools meant to assist you and not to be your primary go-to.
Hankook Tire wants to encourage drivers to continue learning about best practices and the rules of the road – whether that be a refresher on what you learned back in driving school or something completely new, like changing a tire! When it comes to the real-life test of maintenance and parking, here’s hoping you get a passing grade!
For more information visit: https://www.hankooktire.com/us/services-tips/care-guide/replacement.html.